Following his 1940 graduation from Petersburg Harris High School, where he excelled in multiple sports, Andy entered the Rossiter Baseball School, to gain more experience as a player. In 1941 and 1942, Andy played minor league baseball with the Springfield Brownies in the Third Eye League. During this time, he also worked at Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Plant and later at Pillsbury Mills in Springfield.
In January 1943, Andy was drafted into the Army, beginning the most eventful 32 months and 18 days of his young life. Following basic training in Texas, Andy arrived in Casablanca, North Africa, in June 1943. From there, he went to Morocco and Tunisia, then crossed the Mediterranean, and joined the Army’s famous Big Red One. In July 1943, he fought in Sicily with the 1st Infantry Division. He was assigned to the Demolition Squad, Ammunition Engineer Platoon, HQ Co, 2nd Bn, 16th Infantry Regiment. In November, after fierce fighting in Sicily, his unit was shipped to England to train for D-Day. On June 6, 1944, his unit boarded the Higgins boats, from which these brave soldiers stormed the "Easy Red" section of Omaha Beach, during the Allied Forces' invasion of Normandy, where they were part of the Second Wave. His unit fought in the hedgerows across the French countryside, advancing across northern France, the Falaise Pocket, and into Germany. Andy was wounded by shrapnel near the end of his unit’s fight in Aachen, Germany, and was evacuated to England. He rejoined his platoon at the end of the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest. From there, they crossed the Roer River and the Remagen Bridge, where his unit successfully held the northern flank in the Battle of the Bulge. In this battle Andy was wounded a 2nd time, this time by a German mortar and shrapnel from a land mine. Andy stayed with his unit until shortly after V-E Day, when he returned home and was discharged from the Army in October 1945. Andy was decorated with 2 Bronze Star Medals and 2 Purple Heart Medals; a Bronze Service Arrowhead for his amphibious assault landing in combat at Normandy; the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Battle Star, indicating his participation in 6 campaigns; the Good Conduct Medal; the Combat Infantrymen Badge; and 4 overseas service bars, each indicating 6 months of service overseas. In February 2014, in Raleigh, NC, Andy was one of the WWII veterans presented with the Legion of Honor Medal, by the Consul General of France. This is France's highest honor.
After his 1945 discharge from the Army, where he played basketball on division and regimental championship teams in England, Andy returned to playing baseball in the minor leagues and working at Pillsbury Mills. In addition, he became the head coach of the Oakford "Farmerettes", a female semi-pro basketball team comprised of young women from Oakford. Andy frequently commented on how proud he was to be involved with coaching these incredible ladies from Oakford, including 2 of his own sisters, who won an AAU State Championship every year they competed.
In February 1948, Andy attended the George Barr Umpire School in Sanford, FL, and was contracted as a professional umpire for the Georgia-Florida baseball league in April 1948. In 1949, Andy returned to Oakford, IL, and married the love of his life, Ms. Ethel Josephine Elan Hillman, a nursing student from Meadville, PA, whom he had met just twice while on liberty in 1943, prior to being deployed overseas. He carried Josephine's picture with him and corresponded with her throughout his time overseas. She met him at the train station when he arrived back in Chicago and their great love story continued for 53 years before her passing in 1996.
In 1958 Andy started with the United States Post Office as a Clerk in Springfield and he and Josephine bought a house in Jerome. In 1960 he became active in the United Federation of Postal Clerks' union and held positions at the local, state, and regional levels. During these years, in his spare time, he also successfully ran his "Handy Andy's Tree Service". In 1978 he campaigned successfully for an elected position with the national American Postal Workers' Union (APWU), and relocated to the Washington, D.C., area. Andy was very skilled in mediation and arbitration, and he traveled around the country resolving disputes involving union members until 1985, and served as the Assistant Director of the APWU until his retirement in 1986. Five years before his retirement, he and Josephine bought a lot and a golf membership in Pinehurst, NC. In 1987 they built a home on this lot and Andy pursued his love of golf full time, playing the Pinehurst courses with various groups 4 to 5 days a week. Although his beloved wife passed in 1996, Andy remained in Pinehurst, staying active on the golf course, participating in Veterans' Day parades, having breakfast with the "Dirty Dozen" at Mac's restaurant and hosting annual birthday parties at Beefeaters until the fall of 2019 when he moved back to Springfield.
Regardless of where his life took him, Andy had a gift for maintaining relationships and he never met a stranger. To that end, he faithfully attended Big Red One reunions, Postal Union Conventions, Normandy D-Day anniversaries, and special events in Springfield and Oakford. He even created an annual nursing scholarship for a PORTA high school senior, in memory of Josephine. Andy is the only person who has twice been inducted into the PORTA High School Hall of Fame. In April 1922, Andy was honored by the Clinton Lodge #19 AF&AM in Petersburg, IL, for 75 years of membership. Andy will be remembered for his tremendous generosity to numerous charities. His memory of how difficult times were in the Great Depression seemed to propel his generosity toward others throughout his life.
Andy was also passionate about educating successive generations about the sacrifices made by those who never came home from WWII and the evil ideology they were fighting. He passed an incredible legacy on to more than 40 of his family members when he generously paid for them to take an amazing 10-day trip to Europe, with him, to visit the battle sites and learn about WWII.
Andy was predeceased by 4 of his sisters: Lucille Lutes (Paul "Ham"), Roberta Stroh (Donald), Esther Fricke (Gilbert), and Phyllis Leinberger; 3 of his brothers: Randall Paul, Roscoe Arthur “Art” (Jackie), and Eugene “Bugeye”; 1 niece: Linda Horn; and 1 nephew: Bret Leinberger.
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He is survived by his sister, Virginia Winkelmann (Otto, deceased) of Oakford; one sister-in-law, Glenda Anderson (Eugene, deceased) of Quincy; and one brother, Robert “Bob” Anderson (Wanda, deceased) of Petersburg; 12 Nieces: Deann Shelabarger, Brenda Vost, Lana (Ted) Grothe, Sandra (Robert) Newman, Carol (Kris) Blake, Beverly Leinberger, Rhonda Davis, Lisa (Fred Zar) Anderson, Gina (Phil) Nottingham, Barbara Rebbe, Amy (Charlie) Todd & Brenda (Kenny) White; 6 nephews: Andy (Susie) Winkelmann, Tracy (Judy) Anderson, Bart (Rhonda) Leinberger, Allan (Shirley) Anderson, Dan Fricke & Greg (Amanda) Anderson; 1 niece-in-law: Marilyn Bell (Bret Leinberger, deceased); several great-nieces, great-nephews, and so on, who all simply adored and were prodigiously proud of their Uncle Andy.
His family will receive visitors from 5-7pm on Tuesday, August 30th, at Hurley Funeral Home in Petersburg. A Masonic service will be held near the end of visitation. A funeral service will be held at the Oakford United Methodist Church at 10am on Wednesday, August 31st, followed by a burial service at the Oakford Cemetery and a luncheon at the church.
Memorials to honor Andy may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children or an organization of the donor’s choice.
Hurley Funeral Home in Petersburg, IL, is assisting Andy’s family with arrangements. Please visit his online obituary at hurleyfh.com to leave condolences and share memories with the family.
